When designing a game it is essential to set out sensible parameters. In a war game, one of the fundamental parameters to get right is the scale.
3mm = 1/600th scale
6mm = 1/285th or 1/300th scale
10mm = 1/160th scale
12mm = 1/144th scale
15mm = 1/100th scale
20mm = 1/72nd scale
28mm = 1/64th scale
Wargame 'scales' tend to be denoted in millimeters; although not technically a scale, the number refers to the size of a model representing an average man. Ignoring the debate about how tall an average man is, war game millimeter scales can be converted into proper scales according to the table to the right:
Example scales (left to right): 6mm GHQ, 15mm Peter Pig, 20mm Elhiem, 28mm Games Workshop.
(Links to manufacturer's websites at the bottom of the page.)
But which is the best?
Well, that's a matter of perspective. A better question is: which scale is right for the game and the players? Spoiler: we opted for 1:285 or '6mm' scale.
When designing Intervention, one of the key things we wanted to represent on the battlefield was space. We wanted players to have room to manoeuver and not be forced into throwing all their units into a single fight. Many skirmish games suffer from this problem and every battle turns into a game of '5 year old football' where everyone runs towards the ball - (which obviously isn't what happens in real life).
We also wanted to represent a good number of units on the table while ensuring that each model of tank represents a single tank, rater than a platoon of tanks for instance. At a larger scale this would result in units being cramped or forced into unrealistically close proximity to each other.
There is also the issue of ground scale vs figure scale to consider. In most war games, to ensure the game can be played on a reasonably sized table, the ground scale will be much smaller than the figure scale. For example a game could easily have a figure scale of 1:100 (15mm) but a ground scale of 1:2500, where one centimetre equals 25 metres. However, the bigger the disparity between the two scales, the more jarring players often find it. In pure skirmish games, designers can get away with using larger scale figures and keeping the two scales quite close, however, when representing a larger engagement, this becomes difficult.
In intervention, we have strived to keep the two scales as close as possible but have had to make compromises to make the game playable - notably with the size of an area affected by an explosion or artillery. The figure scale is 1 mm = 0.3m (1ft) and the ground scale is approximately 1mm = 1m (3ft), which is not far off in war gaming terms. It's probably not a good idea to get too hung up on ground scale though, distance is intimately related to speed and time, and as soon as we ask players to take turns, any ambition to accurately reflect time goes straight out of the window.
There were some other factors that lead us to choose 1:285
Miniature gaming can be expensive. When I was younger we didn't have a lot of money so I used to play war games by cutting up cereal boxes to make units - it wasn't very pretty but it was still good fun. We want intervention to be accessible to as many people as possible, so to reduce costs further, we have included unit counters in the rule book that can be photocopied, stuck to cardboard and cut out. These are available for free download on the Resources page.
Cost: In general the larger the scale, the more expensive it will be to build two forces and have a battle. The cost increases again if you want to have additional troops to add variety to your unit selection. At 1:285, you can have quite a large battle without breaking the bank and a perfectly decent battle with each player using a few units of infantry or a handful of tanks. At current prices, this would cost around $10-$15 each rather than many times that for larger scales.
Availability of models: At 1:285 there are a vast number of units available from a range of manufactures. Most are of excellent quality (notably GHQ) and they're not too difficult to paint, (especially if you just spray them olive green and get on with gaming).
Playing area: At 1:285 you can have a good game in a relatively limited playing area. The other day we played a very satisfying urban extraction scenario in a playing area of 18x18 inches. Two units of US special forces had to escape from multiple enemy militia units that were closing in on their position. Conversely, if you are lucky enough to have a large area to play in, at 1:285 you can have some excellent sprawling combined arms engagements.
Time: Smaller models are faster to paint/assemble. The same goes for terrain.
Storage: Smaller models are easier to store and take up less space. Again, the same applies to terrain.
There are lots of advantages with going small so why not smaller? Two reasons:
- Any smaller and it can get quite fiddly - painting, modelling and playing at this scale becomes more difficult; and
- The availability of high quality and distinguishable models is significantly reduced when you go below 6mm.
That being said, there is nothing that stops you from playing Intervention using 3mm or even 15mm or 28mm figures... you might have to suspend disbelief a little when a unit has to be almost on top of the enemy to receive a close range bonus.
Links:
GHQ. Peter Pig. Elhiem. Games Workshop.